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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · rest · degree · band · shower · cue · pitcher · snap

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cue — a signal
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. snap — to click
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. shower — rain
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rest — a break
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. degree — an amount
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com